Tumāḍir bint ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith ibn al-Sharīd al-Sulamīyah (), usually simply referred to as al-Khansāʾ (, meaning "snub-nosed", an Arabic
epithet
An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...
for a
gazelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...
as
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
for beauty) was a
7th-century tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
swoman, living in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. She was one of the most influential poets of the
pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods.
In her time, the role of a female poet was to write
elegies for the dead and perform them for the tribe in public
oral competitions. Al-Khansāʾ won respect and fame in these competitions with her elegies, and is widely considered as the finest author of
Arabic elegies and one of the greatest and best known female Arab poets of all time.
In 629, she went to
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
with a deputation from her clan and, after meeting the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
, embraced the new religion. Her poetry was later recorded by Muslim scholars, who were studying unaltered Arabic of her time in order to
explicate the language of early Islamic texts.
Life
Al-Khansāʾ was born and raised in the
Najd
Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...
in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
into a wealthy family of the tribe of Sulaym, and was the daughter of the head of the al-Sharid clan.
According to both contemporary as well as later judgement, she was the most powerful female poet of her time. In pre-Islamic society, the role of a female poet, such as al-Khansā’, was to compose elegies for the
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
smen who fell in the battlefield. Her extraordinary fame rests mainly on her elegiac poetry composed for her two brothers, Sakhr and Mu‘āwiya, who were killed in tribal skirmishes of Banū Sulaym with Banū Murra and Banū Asad, predating Islam.
In 612, her brother Muʿawiyah was killed by members of another tribe. Al-Khansāʾ insisted that her brother, Ṣakhr, avenge Muʿawiyah's death, which he did. Ṣakhr was wounded in the process and died of his wounds a year later. Al-Khansāʾ mourned her two brothers' deaths in poetry, writing over a hundred elegies about the two of them alone,
and began to gain fame for her elegiac compositions, especially due to her powerful recitals.
The contemporary Arab poet
al-Nabigha
Al-Nābighah (), al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī, or Nābighah al-Dhubyānī; real name Ziyad ibn Muawiyah (); was one of the last pre-Islamic Arabian poets. "Al-Nabigha" means genius or intelligent in Arabic.
Biography
His tribe, the Banu Dh ...
said to her, "You are the finest poet of the
jinn
Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam.
Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
and the humans." ().
Similarly, another anecdote says that al-Nabigha told al-Khansāʾ, "If
Abu Basir had not already recited to me, I would have said that you are the greatest poet of the Arabs. Go, for you are the greatest poet among those with breasts".
She responded by saying, "I'm the greatest poet among those with testicles, too".
She was a contemporary of
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
, and eventually converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
It is said that Muhammad would ask her to recite some of her poetry for him, and he would love listening to her. Whenever she paused after a recital, he would gesture her to keep going and say, "Go on, Khunās!"
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
even rated al-Khansāʾ over
Imru' al-Qais
Imruʾ al-Qais Junduh bin Hujr al-Kindi () was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet from Najd in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and the last King of Kinda. He is sometimes considered the father of Arabic poetry. His qaṣīda, or long poe ...
, the most famous poet of the classical Arabic tradition, as the one with greater poetic abilities.
She was married at least twice, and had six children, all of whom were also poets and eventually converted to Islam.
Four of them, Yazīd, Muʿāwiyah, ʿAmr, and ʿAmrah, were killed in the
Battle of Qadisiyah. When she received the news, she allegedly said, "Praise be to God who honored me with their martyrdom. And I have hope from my Lord that he will reunite me with them in the abode of his mercy." ().
She died in 645 or 646.
Poetry and importance in the history of Arabic literature
The poems of al-Khansā’ are short and marked by a strong and traditional sense of despair at the irrevocable loss of life. Apart from her poetical talent, her significance lies in having raised the early Arabic elegiac tradition to the level of
qarīd poetry instead of
sadj‘ or
radjaz. Her style and expression, which assured her a superiority in this genre, became stereotyped in the later
rithā’ poetry. As an outstanding poet and female figure in the history of Arabic literature, the position of al-Khansā’ is unique.
Al-Khansa’s elegies were later collected by
Ibn al-Sikkit (802–858 CE), a literary scholar of the early
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
era. Nearly a thousand lines of her poetry remain.
Editions and translations
* James Montgomery, ''Loss Sings'', The Cahiers Series, 32 (Sylph Editions, 2019),
* In 2021, it was announced that Yasmine Seale would translate al-Khansa's work for the Library of Arabic Literature series.
[Yasmine Seale to Translate Al-Khansa for LAL Series]
, ''ArabLit Quarterly'' (31 July 2021).
See also
*
Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...
*
Women in Arab societies
*
Women in Muslim societies
The experiences of Muslim women ( ''Muslimāt'', singular مسلمة ''Muslimah'') vary widely between and within different societies due to culture and values that were often predating Islam's introduction to the respective regions of the w ...
References
External links
"A Great Arab Poetess of Elegy", an essay about Al-Khansa*
ttp://www.projectcontinua.org/al-khansa/ Project Continua: Biography of al-Khansa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khansa
575 births
640s deaths
6th-century Arabic-language poets
7th-century Arabic-language poets
Women companions of the Prophet
Women poets of the medieval Islamic world
Converts to Islam
Arab women
Medieval women poets
Poets of the early Islamic period
Arabic-language women poets
Arabic-language poets
7th-century women writers
7th-century deaths
6th-century women writers
One Thousand and One Nights characters